The WWE Universe hasn’t seen Roman Reigns on TV since March. Reigns was scheduled to face Goldberg for the Universal Championship at WrestleMania 36 but pulled out of the match shortly beforehand as the COVID-19 pandemic spread across the country. Many people assumed the reason behind Reigns backing out of the event and all subsequent WWE shows being taped during quarantine was due to his potential status as an immunocompromised person, having been diagnosed with leukemia twice in his life. Reigns took to Instagram a few weeks ago to deliver a message to his fans that really didn’t clear up the why of the whole thing.

Now Reigns has come forward to fully explain his decision. Speaking with TMZ, the future Hall Of Famer said the following about his health:

“A lot of people, they think that it was based off of my heath and the history of my fight against leukemia. Talking to my doctors and stuff, I actually am fine and my immune system is good. The drugs that I take to fight the leukemia, they don’t attack your immune system. Not everybody knew because I’ve been trying to keep it private in this crazy world.”

So Reigns wasn’t concerned for his health, what made him decide to stay home? One word: Fatherhood. Reigns continues:

“We just had newborn twin boys. They’re eight weeks old. I had to make a decision for them… It’s my family, it’s my children, they are my legacy. No matter what I do in this world, my children are gonna be the ones to represent my name and carry our name forward. So I had to make that choice for them, to protect them being so young.”

Reigns said he is currently in “daddy mode” and doesn’t have a return date in mind, but he did mention he has been watching the product, commenting:

“It’s weird to see the show in front of no one. It’s strange, because we sell the atmosphere.”

While we don’t know when to expect Reigns back inside a WWE ring, at least we know he and his family are healthy, and that’s what matters most right now.

James Gunn is a busy man, insomuch as anyone in the entertainment business can be considered “busy” right now. The filmmaker is not only writing and directing the Jared Leto-less The Suicide Squad, he’s also doing the same for Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3, one of the better sub-franchises in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The DC former is further along with an earlier release date (August 6, 2021 — for now) than the Marvel latter, but on Twitter last night, Gunn offered a promising GotG, Vol. 3 update.

“Writing a first draft of a screenplay is like a zebra. I knew a guy once who had a pet zebra. It was pretty tame, he’d pet it and nuzzle it, feed it carrots and stuff. I said, ‘What is it, just like a horse?’ He told me no,” Gunn tweeted. “He said he had to interact with the zebra every single day for an hour, or else it would go back to being completely wild. That’s what a first draft is like for me. Staying in the groove. I have to write every single day for a few hours, or else the screenplay goes back to being an untamed thing, and I feel like I have to start all over again.” When asked by one of his followers if the first draft he was referring to was Guardians, Gunn replied:

Gunn previously assured Marvel fans that “right now the plans with Vol. 3 are also exactly the same as they were before coronavirus,” which, coupled with his tweet above, is promising. And if a zebra joins the Guardians in Vol. 3, now you’ll know why.

(Via Twitter/James Gunn)

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In-person concerts aren’t really happening right now, but fortunately, Taylor Swift has a recorded show in the vault, and she’s ready to share it: Today, Swift announced her “City Of Lover” concert special, which is set to air on ABC on May 17.

She tweeted this morning, “Excited to announce the City of Lover Concert! We filmed my show in Paris in September and thought it’d be fun to share it with you. May 17 at 10p ET on @abcnetwork and available the next day on @hulu and @disneyplus!”

She also made the announcement on Good Morning America, saying in a video message, “Hey Good Morning America, it’s Taylor. Just wanted to say hi. Hope everybody is doing well and everybody’s happy and healthy and staying safe. So I played this concert in September called ‘The City Of Lover Show’ and it was in Paris. It was so much fun. It was actually a show we put together just to celebrate the Lover album coming out, and we filmed it! So that is going to be airing on ABC on May 17th, and the next day, it will on be on Hulu and Disney+, so I’m really excited about it. And again, sending my love to you guys and hope you’re well.”

The show was filmed on September 9, 2019 at the L’Olympia Bruno Coquatrix in Paris, and the 16-song setlist included the live debuts of multiple Lover songs.

This news comes after Swift unsurprisingly decided to postpone her scheduled shows for 2020, writing, “I’m so sad I won’t be able to see you guys in concert this year, but I know this is the right decision. Please, please stay healthy and safe. I’ll see you on stage as soon as I can but right now what’s important is committing to this quarantine, for the sake of all of us.”

La La Land director Damien Chazelle has a new miniseries, The Eddy, out on Netflix today. The show focuses on a jazz musician and his Paris club, the titular The Eddy. Netflix’s summary of the show reads, “The owner of a Paris jazz club gets tangled up with dangerous criminals as he fights to protect his business, his band and his teenage daughter.”

Naturally, then, music plays a huge element in the show’s make-up, and the soundtrack, which is also out now, features original songs written by Glen Ballard. At the end of the tracklist are covers of some of those songs, one of which is by St. Vincent, who offers a rendition of the title track.

St. Vincent croons on the slow and jazzy ballad, which sounds crafted for a smoky club (appropriately so). The track shows off St. Vincent’s otherworldly versatility, as sultry jazz joins experimental pop, straight-up rock, and other musical styles on a long list of things she does well.

St. Vincent isn’t the only noteworthy name to guest on the soundtrack: Jorja Smith previously shared her rendition of “Kiss Me In The Morning,” a more upbeat and equally jazzy number.

Listen to St. Vincent and Smith’s The Eddy songs above.

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We know there’s plenty of TV these days…. but Netflix has some really good stuff coming this week. By really good, we mean Christina Applegate and Linda Cardellini covering up James Marsden’s murder good. That’s right, Dead to Me‘s second season is here, and the ladies have a whole new bloody mess to clean up except this time, the FBI’s on their tail. And Jerry Seinfeld is back for a new comedy special that’s good because, well, it’s Jerry Seinfeld.

Here’s everything coming to (and leaving) Netflix this week of May 8.

Dead to Me: Season 2

Christina Applegate and Linda Cardellini return to cover up another murder (and deliver some cliff-hanger-heavy drama) in Dead To Me’s second season. The comedy’s just as dark, and the performances from Applegate and Cardellini are just as mind-blowing but somehow, the show’s able to mine even more interesting storytelling from the offbeat friendship of Jen and Judy as they navigate new truths and familiar messes.

Jerry Seinfeld: 23 Hours to Kill

Jerry Seinfeld returns for his first true, straightforward comedy special in awhile with this Netflix stand-up routine. It’s a pleasant enough hour, filled with Seinfeld-esque humor about the hassle of socializing — oh the irony! — and the funny hangups of married life. Fans will enjoy it. Non-fans will probably still want to watch just to have something to pass the time with. Speaking of, here’s a terrific chat we did with Seinfeld about the special … over Zoom, because that’s how we live now, Jerry.

Here’s a full list of what’s been added in the last week:

Avail. 5/4
Arctic Dogs

Avail. 5/5
Jerry Seinfeld: 23 Hours to Kill

Avail. 5/6
Workin’ Moms: Season 4

Avail. 5/7
Scissor Seven: Season 2

Avail. 5/8
18 Regali
Chico Bon Bon: Monkey With a Tool Belt
Dead to Me: Season 2
The Eddy
The Hollow: Season 2
House at the End of the Street
Restaurants on the Edge: Season 2
Rust Valley Restorers: Season 2
Valeria

And here’s what’s leaving next week, so it’s your last chance:

Leaving 5/15
Limitless
The Place Beyond the Pines

One of my quarantine watches has been CBS’ How I Met Your Mother, and man, when that show was good, it was very good. The flip side is also true, as anyone who struggled through the final season, and in particular the much-derided finale, can attest to. But let’s keep things positive and focus on the first four seasons, when HIMYM was at its peak and firing off classic episodes weekly. A personal favorite that still holds up: season two’s “Slap Bet,” which introduced viewers (and Ted, Marshall, Lily, and Barney) to Robin’s pop star alter-ego Robin Sparkles and her hit song, “Let’s Go to the Mall.”

Is there a robot? You better believe it.

While stuck indoors, Cobie Smulders, who played Robin, re-recorded “Let’s Go to the Mall” with new quarantine-friendly lyrics. “Keep on those jelly bracelets/And that cool graffiti coat/’Cuz the mall is in our hearts, that’s what it’s all about,” she sings, later adding, “I have to go do Zoom school soon, at least until we’re all immune/But that’s just fine, I’m gonna follow COVID guidelines.” The song’s title: “Let’s All Stay at Home.”

Here it is. I hope it takes your mind off some things. It certainly did for me! A huge thank you to [How I Met Your Mother creators] Craig Thomas and Carter Bays for the new lyrics. And to Brian Kim, who helped compose this song originally. He wrote this new piano version and then rewrote it when it was too challenging for me. It was a wonderful journey down memory lane.

Stay at home, if not for your loved ones, then do it for the robot.

Ever since his recent release from prison, Tekashi 69 has been gearing up to make his musical comeback. Now, his return will officially kick off today: Tekashi has announced that a new song, his first one post-prison, will be released today at 3 p.m. ET.

He made the announcement with a billboard in Times Square, which does not reveal the name of the song. DJ Akademiks shared a video of the huge electronic sign and wrote, “6ix9ine just announced he’s dropping a song tomorrow at 3 pm via the biggest billboard in Times Square .. and also claims he’s still the King of New York. He also going live on ig at 3 pm est tomorrow.”

This news is far from a surprise, as there have been plenty of indicators that something like this was coming soon. For example, the song is set to arrive at the same time Tekashi will be going live on Instagram today. He also recently sought (and was granted) permission to film music videos in his backyard, so it’s possible the song’s release today could be accompanied by a visual as well (or perhaps a video will come later instead).

Whatever the case, this is a moment fans have been anticipating for months, so tune in later today to see what Tekashi’s been cooking up.

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